State positioned to exit No Child Left Behind Act

Alabama education chief outlines ‘Plan 2020'

Alabama State Superintendent Tommy Bice speaks during the seventh annual “Doing What Matters for Alabama's Children” conference in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. Bice said now is the time for Alabama to think about education in new ways and that it should focus on pre-kindergarten programs.

Staff photo | Dusty Compton

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 10:50 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | It's a new day for public education in Alabama, Thomas Bice, superintendent of the state Department of Education, said Tuesday in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama State Superintendent Tommy Bice speaks during the seventh annual “Doing What Matters for Alabama's Children” conference in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. Bice said now is the time for Alabama to think about education in new ways and that it should focus on pre-kindergarten programs.

Staff photo | Dusty Compton

State leaders are seeking to step outside outdated federal requirements to improve the education of Alabama's children, Bice told more than 350 educators and counselors at the seventh annual “Doing What Matters for Alabama's Children” conference held at the Bryant Conference Center.

“We are beginning to see diminishing returns from (the) No Child Left Behind (Act of 2001), and the inaction of Congress gives us a great advantage,” Bice said.

Congress has not reauthorized No Child Left Behind, which was scheduled for renewal five years ago. Bice said Congress' inaction opens the doors for states to move away from the program, which required states to develop assessments in basic skills and give assessments to all students in all grades in order to receive federal money.

The ultimate goal of No Child Left Behind was that 100 percent of public school students would be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

But, instead, Bice said that over the past decade, students have been taught to pass standardized tests measuring their proficiency in math and reading, and they haven't necessarily learned the skills they need.

Alabama now has the opportunity to move forward and think about education in new ways, Bice said.

The state should focus on pre-kindergarten education and utilize project-based learning while investing in school personnel, he said.

During his presentation Tuesday, Bice outlined “Plan 2020,” in which state and local school leaders will focus on new ways of educating children, supporting school professionals and supporting school systems.

The objectives of the plan include:

Ensuring that students perform at or above proficiency academically.

To make sure that students must show continuous improvement.

Guarantee that every student graduate from high school.

As part of that plan, the state school board has voted to allow school systems to apply a waiver to certain regulations or restrictions, if the rules prove a hindrance to helping students thrive, he said.

The state Department of Education is also asking the state Legislature to spend $12.9 million a year for 10 years to fund pre-kindergarten education.

Investing in pre-kindergarten instruction and offering the program to Alabama's 4-year-olds will improve the quality of education, Bice said.

He added that pre-kinderarten is especially important for Alabama's at-risk children, who are often already behind academically by the time they reach kindergarten.

The superintendent said that a study has shown that a statewide pre-kindergarten program will decrease the number of high school dropouts and lower the number of incarcerations.

Bice said that without the statewide pre-K, the state will pay more than $2 billion in crime, law enforcement and costs for inmates in the correctional system.

“We are at a decision point,” Bice said. “Do we spend $129 million for pre-K, or do we spend $2 billion forever?”

Research has shown that there is a 17-to-1 return for investment in every dollar spent on pre-kindergarten education, Bice said.

“We can no longer wait to make this shift, knowing what the learning potential is of these students,” Bice said.

He said that educators will soon be able to chart their own course and expect more of the children because of it.

Bice said he felt like a new teacher on the first day of school.

“I'm so excited about what this could mean for education in Alabama.”

The “Doing What Matters for Alabama's Children” conference was sponsored by Tuscaloosa's Promise, Challenge 21 and the Tuscaloosa County Children's Policy Council. The annual conference hosted more than 350 educators and counselors from around the state to learn how to build stronger communities for families.

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